USA Pro Challenge to cycle through The Broadmoor and Garden of the Gods

DENVER – When the USA Pro Challenge returns to the Pikes Peak region this summer, spectators will have several quality vantage points from which to watch the world-class riders.
Stage 4 of the seven-day stage race will begin at The Broadmoor, organizers announced Tuesday, and a field of 128...

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Stage 1, Aug. 18: 61-mile circuit starting and finishing in Aspen with some
climbing to Snowmass. This stage will be decided by the sprinters.

Stage 2, Aug. 19: 105-mile ride from Aspen to Mount Crested Butte with
climbs over McClure and Kebler passes. While the sections on dirt road will
be exciting, the final push to the ski resort is what will determine the
winner and an overall lead change.

Stage 3, Aug. 20: 96-mile ride that starts in Gunnison and climbs over
11,312-foot Monarch Pass. After a fast descent into Salida, riders will take
on event's first true mountaintop finish at Monarch Mountain. This
stage will separate contenders from pretenders.

Stage 4, Aug. 21: 70-mile circuit starting at The Broadmoor and finishing in
downtown Colorado Springs. Overall standings likely won't change much, but
fans will have the option to watch riders climb in Garden of the Gods or
take in a sprint finish.

Stage 5, Aug. 22: 104-mile ride from Woodland Park to Breckenridge. Cyclists
will reach their highest point of the week on the 11,539-foot summit of
Hoosier Pass, but this stage will be won on the steep grades of the roads
inside the ski resort's town limits.

Stage 6, Aug. 23: 10-mile time trial that starts in Vail Village and heads
toward Vail Pass. The rider wearing the yellow jersey as overall leader at
the end of this stage will almost certainly emerge victorious in Denver.

Stage 7, Aug. 24: 78-mile ride from Boulder to Denver. While there will be a
healthy amount of climbing early in the day, any legitimate breakaways will
be reeled in by the time the riders see the State Capitol.

Stage 4 of the seven-day stage race will begin at The Broadmoor, organizers announced Tuesday, and a field of 128 elite cyclists then will be tested with four trips around a 16-mile circuit that includes a steep, picturesque section through Garden of the Gods.

“It’s obviously one of the most beautiful spots in all of Colorado and probably in all of the world,” event CEO Shawn Hunter said after unveiling the race route at the History Colorado Center. “So to showcase that again but also The Broadmoor, which I think is our greatest resort and one of America’s greatest resorts, will be fun.”

The fourth edition of the USA Pro Challenge, which covers more than 500 miles of Rocky Mountain road Aug. 18-24, is back in Colorado Springs after a one-year hiatus. The city hosted the event’s prologue in 2011 and the Stage 5 finish in 2012. Both of those races finished downtown, and this year will be no different. But riders are going to have to work a bit harder to get there.

The 70-mile route features four half-mile stretches on Ridge Road that boast up to a 17 percent grade, plus a few short climbs in Garden of the Gods.

“As we like to say, there’s nowhere to hide, no days off in this race. There’s not a weak link in the seven,” Hunter said.

Despite the difficult course, Stage 4 likely will come down to a sprint finish through the streets of downtown, similar to that won by Tyler Farrar two years ago.

“We’re gonna have the party going on all day downtown like we had in 2012,” said Peter Scoville of the local organizing committee. “You can go to Colorado (Avenue) and watch the racers come through and then come back over to Tejon (Street) and watch it again. It’s going to be as spectator friendly as you can get.”

The USA Pro Challenge kicks off with a circuit in Aspen and concludes six days later in downtown Denver. The start of Stage 5 will be hosted by Woodland Park. Other host cities include Mount Crested Butte, Gunnison, Breckenridge, Vail and Boulder.

Stage 3 is the undisputed gem of this year’s route. After beginning in Gunnison, cyclists will climb 11,312-foot Monarch Pass and descend into Salida before returning to Monarch Mountain in the first true mountaintop finish in the event’s history.

“What most people don’t realize is we will finish twice as high as most mountaintop finishes of any other race in the world, including the grand tours like France, Italy and Spain,” Hunter said.

Various channels in the NBC Sports group will air a total of 25 hours of coverage during the week, and the race will be shown in nearly 180 countries. Previous winners of the race include Americans Levi Leipheimer, Christian Vande Velde and Tejay van Garderen.